City accepts property into Land Bank

Accepting a Warranty Deed for the property of 516 East Second St into the Concordia Land Bank was approved on a vote of 3-1 by the Concordia city commission during its regular meeting Wednesday at City Hall.
Mayor Mark Matthew raised concerns about the condition of the property and possible environmental concerns.
“I don't know what the environmental impact is; if there has been oil or chemicals dumped on the place. It is probably going to be more of an expense cleaning that up than it is tearing down a house,” Mathew said.
Commissioners Sam Sacco, Chuck Lambertz, and Keaton Snavely, via telephone, voted in favor of accepting the property into the Land Bank. Christy Hasch was not in attendance.
Information provided to the commissioners by city building inspector Bruno Rehbein stated that the owners of the property intend the deed to the Concordia Land Bank, and the property is located within the flood plain.
The city commission had set a public hearing date of November 1 for the property, considering it an unsafe and dangerous structure.
By accepting the property into the Land Bank, the structures will be demolished leaving a vacant lot.
The city had previously set nuisance abatement letters related to maintenance of the property. No charges were assessed.
The property, which is zoned MHS – Manufactured Home Subdivision, could be marketed for future residential development.
During public comments, Machelle Fischer, the manager of Wood Oil, voiced concerns to the commission about the changing of the start time for the sale of cereal malt beverages from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The commission, on August 1, 2018, voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance authorizing the sale of cereal malt beverages and liquor on Sundays.
That resolution was approved by the city voters in November 2018. It changed the start time for the sale of alcohol on Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Fischer said that about a year ago she was told that she had no option, that Wood Oil had to sell 6 percent beer because there was no longer 3.2.
“I was told my cereal malt beverage license would not change. There would be nothing new. This came from the distributors of the product,” Fischer said.
Fischer said she was given a state handbook, and nothing had changed, including the sale of cereal malt beverages from 6 a.m. until 12 a.m.
“But with the new ordinance, I am limited to 9 a.m. until 12 a.m. like the liquor stores,” Fischer said.
Fischer told the commissioners that she has customers that are looking to purchase cereal malt beverages prior to 9 a.m.
Also during public comments, Sabrina Scott, who lives in the 800 block of Second Avenue, registered a complaint about the noise level from Harold M. Clark Stadium during the Concordia High School activities.
Scott said she appreciates the celebrations and activities that take place at the stadium, but the speaker system seems to direct load sound and music way beyond the confines of the stadium.
“I was just wondering if there was anything we could do to get the schools and district to reposition the speakers some way, or to look at doing what they can to keep the sound more within the confines of the stadium, and directed more towards the intended audience,” Scott said.
During her report to the commission, city manager Amy Lange stated that the project at Blosser Municipal Airport was on track, and that the design work should be completed by February.
The city of Concordia was awarded $6.95 million in supplemental airport improvement program funding for the construction of a new runway/taxiway at the airport.